FTC heads to Albany for the APC's 2019 Advocacy Day to lobby for tuition assitance.

by Briyahna Rice

On Tuesday March 6th, select FTC students took a trip up to Albany, New York to lobby for the continuation and increases of the TAP and ETA budgets for the Association of Proprietary Colleges’ (APC) 2019 Advocacy Day. TAP, or Tuition Assistance Program, is a financial aid program for students attending school as New York State residents. The ETA, or Enhanced Tuition Assistance Program, like TAP, seeks to provide students with tuition awards so long as they are New York State Residents attending a private college. A student can receive $6,000 through a combination of their TAP, ETA and match from their college.

Accompanied by FTC Professor James Ryan and Christine Fishlinger from FTC Financial Aid, students told their personal stories on what TAP and ETA have done for them to New York State Senators Leroy Comrie and John C. Lui, and Assemblymen Steve Englebright, Fred Thiele, Douglas Smith, Michael J. Fitzpatrick. The Assemblymen not only work in the Education department of the Albany Center, but also are based on Long Island. That little bit of familiarity made them very relatable to the FTC students as they explained how TAP has helped them pursue their educational goals for the chance at their dream jobs.

Assemblyman Fitzpatrick also gave a brief economics lesson to help the students have a better understanding of how money is distributed and used in state government. He further encouraged students to study Economics to gain a better understanding of the system.

Using the Twitter hashtag #APC4TAP, and the handle @APCCOLLEGES, students from not only FTC, but also Morehouse, LMI, Elmira, and others were able to share their experiences and show their support for the work that the APC puts into making sure TAP and ETA are maintained and increased for future generations of college students.